


Children of the Sea

by SamiraHeaven93



Category: One Piece
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, Family, Fluff, Gen, action and drama will come later, and so does Ace, for stuff we “recently” learned in a flashback in Wano in the manga, i think..., spoilers?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:48:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24892642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamiraHeaven93/pseuds/SamiraHeaven93
Summary: Whitebeard acquires a new tiny daughter. Follow Yokos journey and how she grows up on the decks of the Moby Dick and adventures with her new big family!
Comments: 6
Kudos: 43





	1. Hunting a ghost, finding a... child?

**Author's Note:**

> I’m diving back into One Piece after not writing for it in... ages.  
> This is a translation/rewrite of an old story I wrote years ago in my first language. Since then we learned a lot of new things and I changed some things about the story and my OC.  
> I know OC stories aren’t that popular, but maybe some of you will like and enjoy reading some Whitebeard Pirates family fluff! With some more action and drama later on.

** Hunting a ghost, finding a... child? **

The Florian Triangle was a feared part of Paradise. The constant fog absorbing every noise, giving it an already eerie atmosphere. Many ships had gone missing there over the centuries, sometimes reappearing devoid of all crew. Ghost Ships.

For a little there had been rumours and rumours of rumours, that, if you were really lucky, you could hear faint music. Singing. The song familiar but still different. Coming from beyond the grave. Binks’ Sake.

These rumours were one of the reasons that one of the four Emperors, Edward Newgate, decided to pay the first half of the Grand Line a visit, something he hadn’t done in years. His children had been curious and he liked to make them happy. Officially he claimed it was just a coincidence they had to pass near the Florian Triangle on their way to Water 7, where they would have their ship being looked over by some of the best shipwrights in the world, and that they wouldn’t spend much time there to hunt for a potential ghost, but even Whitebeard himself was a bit curious about it.

The captain smiled, while he observed his children preparing for a ghost hunt. Apparently they had decided to send Marco out first, to scout out a part of the area. They had knotted a long rope around his middle, so that it would be easier for him to find his way back or, in the worst case scenario if something happens to him, they would be able to pull him back.

Marco was giddy. He couldn’t wait to explore and find a ghost! He had seen a lot of weird things in his life before, but never a ghost! But the young man had to admit that he was glad he got the safety rope. Who knew if it really was a ghost or a pirate crew waiting to attack passing ships? Or some kind of monster? You never knew on the Grand Line after all.

He jumped on the rail and turned his arms into wings, grinning in excitement.

“I’m off now, Pops!”

“Gurarara. Be careful out there my son. And don’t accidentally fall into the ocean!”

Marco blushed slightly and glared at his father. “POPS! That didn’t happen in years, yoi!”

His friends and siblings laughed, the older ones still fondly remembering it when Marco wasn’t able to fly properly yet.

“Gurarara. Just be careful, Marco.”

“Always am, Pops!” He jumped over the side of the ship and spread his wings, coasting through the air. The laughter and cheering from the crew soon drowned out by the thick fog, until all he could hear was the flapping of his wings and his own heartbeat.

At the same time as he spotted a dark spot in the waters under him, he heard it. Faint singing. The phoenix dived down, but soon realised the music wasn’t coming from the thing he had spotted. But he was to curious to not check out the dark spot first.

It was just a small dinghy and Marco was about to continue following the music when he spotted something in the small boat.

A small figure lay there, curled up and unmoving, even after he landed next to it. He kneeled down and checked if it was a body, but the figure was still warm and breathing. It was a small child, maybe five or six years old.

Marco shook the kids shoulder, but it wouldn’t wake up, which made him worried.

“Hey, kid. Wake up, yoi. What happened to you?” All he got was a small whine at the same time as he felt a strong tug on his safety rope. He took it off and knotted it to the dinghy, letting his friends pull them back to the Moby Dick.

The young man lifted the child gently into his arms and noticed it had a shallow wound shortly under their rips on the left side. He flared up his powers, healing it in an instant. The kid instinctively curled into him, grabbing his shirt, already looking slightly better.

“It’s going to be ok, yoi. You are not alone anymore.” Marco assumed it was a little girl from the flower pattern on her shirt, even though she had short hair. He held her tightly and petted her head, whispering calming words, until he could see their ship in again. How did a child end up in a situation like this? Whatever happened to her, it hadn’t been nice.

“MARCO!”

“What happened?!”

“A dinghy?”

“We thought you fell into the water you stupid bird!”

“IS THAT A CHILD?!”

The kid tried to burry herself deeper into his chest and let out a small whine again. She seemed to slowly wake up!

Marco jumped up on the ship, after they had been pulled close enough, and was immediately surrounded by his family, his father in front of him.

“What happened? Where did you find that child, Marco?” Whitebeard tried to get a better look at her face, but couldn’t.

“I don’t know, Pops. She was just there, laying in that boat.” The commander looked down at the child in his arms for a moment, when he felt her shift slightly and back up at his father again. “She had been injured, a cut or shallow stab wound in her side. Thankfully I was able to heal it.”

“I see...”

There were a lot of noises and voices around her. It was so loud. She didn’t know where she was, but it felt nice. Someone was holding her, it was warm and she felt safe. And the pain was gone too! The girl opened her eyes slowly, peaking up through her bangs.

“Mama...?”

But it wasn’t her mother, it was a strange man, smiling at her.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not your mother, yoi.”

She stiffened up and breathed in sharply, her blue eyes staring at him.

“Gurarara, we are not going to hurt you, kid. Can you tell us what happened to you?”

The girl turned around to the captain and just stared at him for a second. Then she screamed! She leaped out of Marcos arms and scrambled as far away from them as she could. She pressed herself against the rail, shaking and her lips quivering.

Newgate sat down in front of her and slowly reached out to her.

“It’s ok, kid. As I said, we are not going to hurt you. I promise.”

He was just about to gently pet her head, when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his hand. She had bitten him, tiny sharp teeth buried as deep in his flesh as she could. But something was different from before. Her eyes had changed colour and she had grown whiskers, fluffy triangular ears and a big equally fluffy tail. The child had the power of a Zoan devil fruit!

“Gurararara! You have an interesting power there, kid!” His other hand gripped her carefully, which made her bite down harder, and held her up closer to his face. He grinned at her broadly. “Leave us alone, my sons, you are scaring her.”

His children protested loudly, which made him laugh fondly. “YOU are scaring her, Pops!” But they still followed his orders and scattered.

Whitebeard looked back at the child in his hand and smiled fondly. “Now that’s better isn’t it? All the scary ones are gone now, Gurarara.”

The little girl stared at him and seemed to calm down a little bit. She now looked directly at his face for a moment, before turning her gaze down to where she was still biting him and finally let go of him, now avoiding his eyes.

The pirate shifted his hands around so that the child was now sitting on one of his palms. He could see her lip still wobbling, but she wasn’t as hostile or shaking as before.

“Are you scared of me too?”

The child nodded and looked at him through her bangs.

“Why? I swear I’m not going to hurt you.”

She worried her lip and her hands clenched around the hem of her shirt.

“‘Cause... ‘cause you’re Newgate...”

He looked at her surprised, wondering about why such a young child knew his given name. “You know who I am, kid?”

She nodded. “Yeah. You’re an emperor. And very very very strong! And I... I’m...” The girl clapped her hands over her mouth, staring at him with big frightened eyes.

Newgate raised an eyebrow. “What’s your name child?”

But he only got a vigorous head shake as an answer.

She let her hands sink down into her lap and sniffled. “Mama... sniff... Mama always said I can’t tell anyone...”

“Oh? Was your mother a pirate too?” It would make sense for the child of a pirate he once fought to know his given name he assumed.

She nodded reluctantly “And Papa too. But I don’t know him... and now Mama... sniff...Mama vanished too...I miss my Mama... I... I wanna have my Mama....”

The little girl was fully crying now, big tears falling from her eyes. Her sobs broke the captains heart and he decided right then and there to be this child’s new father. He gently rubbed her back with his free hand, letting her curl in on herself.

She cried herself to sleep, without even noticing the crowd that was again forming around them. His children had been drawn back by her heart wrenching cries.

Newgate stood up after he was sure the girl was fast asleep and went to his cabin. He lay down and carefully placed her on his chest, one of his hands gently resting on top of her.

“I can’t give you back your parents, but I can be your new one. You won’t be alone anymore. It doesn’t matter who your parents are. We are all children of the sea.” A thought crossed his mind and made him smile. “I know. I will call you that. Yoko, my new child of the sea!”


	2. Mister Newgate and his many, many children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoko wakes up and gets told about her new family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had fun writing this!

Mister Newgate and his many, many children

It was already late afternoon when Whitebeard felt the child starting to move again. She was only a small girl, but she obviously had already gone through some traumatising events. He would do his best to be a good father for her and protect her. Just like what he did with all his children.

Her head poked out from under his hand and she looked at him with surprised blue eyes.

“Hallo Yoko. Have you slept well?”

He lifted his hand so that she could sit up.

The child rubbed its eyes and yawned. She realised that she was still partially transformed and turned back into a full human. “Who’s Yoko?”

“I decided to call you that, child. It means ‘Child of the Sea’. I’m going to be your new father. Everyone here is just a child of the sea so I thought that would be a good name for you.”

She stared at him, head tilted to one side and mouth slightly open. “Huh...?”

Newgate thought that was the most adorable thing he had seen in a while and he smiled brightly.

“You are not going to kill me? You want to be my new Papa?”

Whitebeard sat up, his deep laugh rumbling through the room while he caught Yoko in one of his hands, because his movement had made her roll off of his chest.

“Gurarara! Of course I’m not going to kill you! You did nothing wrong. And it doesn’t matter who your parents are. You are you. And my new youngest daughter, Yoko!”

The girl stared at him, studying his face.

“I...” An other grumbling sound disrupted her.

“Gurarara. Are you hungry, little Yoko?”

She blushed slightly and nodded. “Mhm...”

“Gurara. Then let’s go and get you something to eat!” He stood up, holding her gently in one of his hands, and made his way to the galley.

Yoko felt like she could trust the captain. He seemed nice, even though he was so big and strong. She had heard people call him a fiend, whatever that was, but she knew it wasn’t nice, and evil, but Mama had never said anything like that. She had only called him a rival or enemy, but never anything really bad. Mama had liked and respected him! And Yoko thought her Mama was right.

The child looked at the hand that was holding her and noticed the faint marks her teeth had left in it. She gently petted it.

“Am sorry...”

Newgate looked down at her and smiled fondly. “It’s ok. It’s my own fault for scaring you. You just wanted to protect yourself.”

She bit her lip and avoided his eyes. “Hmmm...”

He gently poked her cheek with the index finger of his free hand. “It’s nothing. It will be healed in no time.”

“O...ok...”

“Mister Newgate”, she looked up at him and smiled. “You really are nice!”

***

Marco was doing some paperwork in the canteen while waiting for dinner time, when he heard his fathers booming laugh. It seemed like the girl had finally woken up again. Pops would never leave her alone in a situation like this. The young commander wasn’t the only one who perked up at the familiar noise, everyone currently in the large room did. Curious about what was about to happen next. What Whitebeards plans with the child would be? Marco was sure though, they would have a new tiny baby sister from now on! This made him smile excitedly and he stood up to greet his father before he could enter the canteen.

It only took the captain a moment to appear in front of his subordinate, the girl safely but gently held in his big hand.

“Hi, Pops!” He smiled up at him and the child. “I see you have woken up, yoi. What’s your name, kiddo?”

She turned around slightly and looked up at the pirate holding her. “Ehhh...”

Newgate smiled and sat her down so she could walk on her own. “Her name is Yoko.” He nudged her into his sons direction. “Yoko, this is Marco. He brought you here and will be one of your new big brothers.”

She looked up at the younger man, eyes big. “You saved me, Mister... Marco?”

The commander crouched down in front of her and placed one of his hands on her head, ruffling her hair. “Yes, I did.” He smiled brightly at her. “Are you feeling a bit better then before?”

“Mhm...” She nodded slightly, her eyes focused on her hands which were playing with the hem of her shirt. “A little... I miss my Mama... and... and I’m still a bit scared...” She turned around and looked up at Whitebeard, a small smile on her lips. “But... But Mister Newgate said he would be my new Papa. I never really had a real Papa. It makes me happy...” 

Yoko turned back to Marco, brows furrowed and looking confused. “Is it bad that I’m sad... and happy?”

He laughed and ruffled her hair again. “Of course it’s not bad, yoi! It’s understandable! But I’m glad you are happy you have a new father! And guess what!”

She looked at him in anticipation. “What?”

Marco threw his arms in the air, grinning at her. “You not only have a new Pops now, but looooots of new siblings!”

“Really?!” She spun around to Whitebeard again, which made him laugh. “You have a lot of kids, Mister Newgate?!”

“Gurarara! Of course! My crew is my family. They are all my children. Not by blood, but by heart! I call them my sons and they call me their father.” He saw the child’s smile falter a bit at that. “But don’t worry. You don’t have to call me anything like that. Take your time to get used to everything and call me whatever you are comfortable with.”

“Hey, Pops, I think it would be great to show our newest family member the Family Wall in the canteen.” The young man had stood up again, excited about having a new sibling. Having a child on board reminded him of the time with Momo and Hiyori, even though Yoko was a bit older then those two.

“Gurarara, that’s a great idea, son!”

Yoko tugged on Marcos shirt. “Mister...Big Brother Marco? What’s the Family Wall?”

He laughed and scooped her up into his arms. “That’s a wall where we put all the wanted posters of our crew and some other pictures. Wanna see it?”

She turned her head to look at Newgate again, who just smiled and nodded. “Go and show her her new family, Marco!”

“Aye Aye, Pops!” 

Marco walked through the swinging door leading into the canteen, his new sister safely held in his arms. As soon as he entered he was surrounded by a huge crowd, again. But this time the child he was holding was conscious, and obviously overwhelmed.

Yoko let out a whine and buried herself into his neck, one hand covering her ear and the other one having a tight grip on his shirt.

“Calm down, yoi! Give her some space, you are scaring her!” He glared at his crewmates until they backed off. “Don’t all crowd her like that, yoi! She is a child and still scared!”

“Awww, but she doesn’t have to be scared of us!”

“We aren’t that bad!”

“Come on Marco~! At least tell us her name!”

“Yeah! Don’t keep her all to yourself, Commander!”

The commander sighed and petted Yokos hair with his free hand. “Her name is Yoko and she doesn’t know any of you. She went through a lot and this is all unfamiliar to her. Of course she is still scared! Give her time and space and she will warm up to us all.”

“Gurarara.” Whitebeard had entered after Marco and was giving his rowdy sons a look. “He is right, she just needs some time to adjust. Now scatter!”

There were still some protests, but the captains’ order was followed nonetheless. And Marco made his way to the wall farthest away from the door, while whispering to the child.

“It’s ok, yoi. The others are gone now. Yoko, look!” He waited until she hesitantly looked up from his neck and at what was in front of her. She gasped. “That is our Family Wall!”

“Woooaa! That’s really a lot of people! And those really are all Mister Newgates kids?!”

“Yeah, yoi!” Marco smirked at her surprised and awestruck face. “Can you find me?”

“Hmmm....” Her eyes wandered around the huge medley of pictures and posters on the wall, while subconsciously tipping her left index finger repeatedly at her lower lip, until she pointed at a poster slightly above their heads. “There you are Mister Big Brother Marco!”

“Very good, yoi! You found me fast.” His compliment made her smile at him for a moment before her eyes started to wander again.

“Ohhhh!!! Doggy and Kitty!” She now pointed at a picture that had been taken years ago. It had been ages since he had looked at it. He wondered how Nekomamushi and Inuarashi where doing.

“Mister Big Brother Marco? Why is that one called like a food?” He snorted and looked at the wanted poster next to the old picture. Oh Oden! He wondered how their second commander was doing, too!

“I don’t know, Yoko. It’s just his name, yoi.”

“Oh...” She shrugged and continued to look at her huge new family in picture form until...

“FUCK! That is a HUGE number! I can’t even read that!” She pointed at their captain and fathers wanted poster while Marco stared at her, slightly shocked. The whole room had gone silent, too. All eyes on the small girl in the young mans arms.

Yoko noticed that they were staring and clapped her hands over her mouth in realisation. “Oh... That’s a bad word! I’m sorry!”

For a few more seconds the room was almost dead silent, then it erupted into loud and hearty laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> English isn’t my first language and I’m a bit miffed that I don’t know/can’t find a cute sounding word for “roll”. “Kullern” just sounds cuter and more fitting to me... *pouts*
> 
> Ah well, the struggles of writing in a language that isn’t the first...^^’


	3. Mess Hall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoko learns some new things about her new family, while some others remember the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kudos! And especially for the comment! I woke up to that notification and it made my day!
> 
> A certain someone has wormed himself into this chapter, but I just had to include him after the last manga chapter! Seeing him there made me grin like an idiot for hours. I knew he would be there at some point, but seeing him made me happy!
> 
> I hope you all like and enjoy this chapter too!

** Mess Hall **

Yoko looked around, confused as to why everyone was laughing. Did she say something funny? But she did say a bad word! Mama had told her that it was a bad word and that she shouldn’t use it. But it just had slipped out because that number on Mister Newgates poster was so big!

“Ehm, Mister Marco, why are you laughing? It’s a bad word, it’s not funny.”

The man holding her stopped laughing and adjusted his hold on her so that he now had one arm free. “We are just thinking that you will fit in with us well, yoi. We are pirates and pirates use words like that sometimes, Yoko. Plus” He booped her on the nose. “That was an appropriate reaction to Pops bounty, yoi.”

“Approbriat?” She tilted her head slightly and blinked at him. “What does that mean?”

“Appropriate means that your reaction was very understandable, because his bounty is really high, yoi.”

She turned back to the wall, looking at the posters and pictures again while the laughter in the room died down. The cooks had finished their work and dinner was ready by now, so most of the present men went to get their share now, too.

Yoko couldn’t really believe that all these people would be her new family now! There were so many of them! And they were all so strong and had bounties, too! Would they really like her? She was just a little girl and weak, too. And her parents had been pirates from a different crew. What would happen if they found out about that? Mister Newgate had said that he didn’t care, and she believed him. But what about the others? And what about if they found out WHO her parents were?! Would they throw her out again? Or hurt her, like those marine people did? Yoko didn’t want to be alone anymore! Maybe she could just never tell them about her parents! Maybe then she could stay with them forever? She never ever wanted to be alone anymore!

Yes, there had been that ghost who had tried to make her smile with singing to her, but he had been scary! And the fog and silence, too!

And she had been so hungry, too. She still was hungry...

“Mister Big Brother Marco?” She turned back to face him. “I’m hungry...”

“I think I can help you with that, kiddo.”

Yoko looked startled at the new man standing next to her and Marco. He had brown hair that he kept in a low ponytail and some scruff on his chin. He grinned at her and ruffled her hair before pointing his thumb at himself.

“I’m Thatch and I’m the best cook in the world!”

The girl looked at him in awe, while Marco just snorted.

“Don’t believe him, yoi. He is a good cook, I give him that, but I doubt he is the best. Thatch is just an idiot who likes to impress people.”

She pulled a face and looked from one pirate to the other.

“Don’t call him idiot, Mister Marco! That’s not nice! Mister Thatch is your brother after all!”

The two friends chuckled and the cook took Yoko out of his friends arms and into his own now.

“He doesn’t mean it like that. He calls me an idiot affectionately. Siblings do that. They tease each other and call them names, but it’s mostly all in good fun. And siblings, especially pirate ones, love to talk shit about each other!”

“Yeah, yoi. Don’t worry about that.” Now Marco took her back from Thatch who was slightly pouting at him. He wanted to spent time with their new sibling, too! “Sometimes we get loud and scream at each other, too. But we don’t mean it bad, we’re just letting of steam!”

“Just letting of steam?” Yoko didn’t know what that meant, but she hoped it was something good.

“Exactly! We are a band of hotheaded and idiotic misfits, but we all care for each other. We are family. Sometimes we might need some time to cool of after an argument, but we will always make up with each other, yoi. Usually our arguments are really petty anyway.”

“Yeah, like you getting pissed at me for calling you pineapple head!” Thatch grinned at him mischievously.

Marco glared at him in annoyance. “Of course I’m getting pissed at that! I’m not a fucking fruit!”

Yoko couldn’t believe here ears, he had said the bad word too! So it really wasn’t that bad that she used it? So pirates use bad words all the time? Her Mama hadn’t told her that! But maybe because she wanted her to have better manners? She had said that manners were important!

“Have you looked into a mirror before? Of course you look like a fucking fruit! But anyway” Thatch place a hand on Yokos head again and smiled. “What do you wanna eat, kiddo?”

“Ehm...” Yoko didn’t know what to answer. She was really really hungry, but her Mama had told her a lot about the life on a ship and they had traveled for a long time together too! So the girl knew important things about provisions and food! “I... Eh... I eat what you give me, Mister Thatch. Mama told me that on a ship you have limited resauces, because there is limited room for food and other stuff. And that the cook decides what they cook usually. And that you are not supposed to waste food so you eat what the cook makes.”

The two young man looked at her surprised and Marco raised an eyebrow. That definitely hadn’t been the answer they had expected. So the child had spent quite some time on a ship and obviously not as a tourist. Tourists don’t worry about limited resources. Maybe she was a merchant or even a pirates child? The later would make a lot of sense considering that she knew they were pirates,but seemed to be fine around them, even if a bit overwhelmed when crowded by a lot of them at once.

“Ok. What about some stew? I made it!” Her answer had thrown Thatch a bit off and he was sure he wasn’t gonna be the only one who would try to spoil the child in the future. She seemed way to mature for a child her age sometimes. She was supposed to say pasta or steamed buns and not something so rational! He wondered where she grew up and who her parents were.

Yoko nodded eagerly. “Does it have carrots in it, Mister Thatch?”

“Yeah, do you not like carrots?”

She shook her head and threw her arms in the air. “I love carrots! ‘Specially cooked and warm! They are so yummy!”

Thatch laughed and ruffled her hair again. “Then I will try and get you some extra in it.”

“Yay! Thank you Mister Thatch!”

***

Izou observed his brothers’ interaction with their newest member with a fond smile, while eating dinner himself. It reminded him of the time Lord Oden and his family were still with them. The crew had adored both Lord Momonosuke and Lady Hiyori and obviously were about to be fully charmed by the little girl currently sitting on Marcos lap, waiting for her dinner.

It didn’t take Thatch long to place a bowl with warm stew in front of her and the young man could see her almost drooling. Yoko-chan must be hungry, which was only understandable.

He wasn’t surprised when she started crying while wolfing down her food, but he noticed that she still at least tried to pace herself and eat with some manners. Not that anyone here cares much about manners to begin with, but it was interesting indeed.

It reminded him of his own past, of the beginning of his last life, the life before he became a pirate. Kikunojo and him had tried to earn money or food by dancing in the streets of Ringo, but no one cared about them. Until Lord Oden took them with him and fed them. They had both cried back then, too. It had been so warm and good and they had been starving. Later they had even become part of his retainers, even though both of them had been still children. They had been such a crazy band of unruly misfits before they had studied and learned manners themselves!

Izous smile grew a bit sad when he thought back to his family at home. He wondered how they were doing. It had been years since he last heard from Lord Oden, back when Gol D. Roger had come for his final visit. And with a message from Lord Oden to him.

“Take care of Whitey-Chan for me!” The former samurai snorted in his drink thinking back to that.

He really missed Lord Oden, Kiku and the others, but he was happy with his life as a pirate under Whitebeard, even though his start had been a bit rocky.

Pops had asked him before if he wanted to go visit Wano, but he had declined. Izou was sure he would meet them all again, but Lord Oden had made sure that he didn’t want any of them to interfere and help him opening up the country. Izou was sure he would be able to do that and then he could proudly return home and visit!

The only thing worrying him was, that apparently Kaido had taken base in Wano. Still, he would only go back after the country had opened up under Lord Oden or when his Lord summons him!

He had to follow his last orders after all! Staying on the Moby Dick and taking care of his Pops! He had even recently become a commander himself, which he was very proud of.

Izou finished his meal in silence and stood up to do some paper work which he had to finish today, while ignoring the knowing looks of both his father and Jozu who was sitting next to him.

***

Newgate sat at his special place, overlooking his children having dinner. The mess hall was as crowded and noisy as ever, even more so then usual and most people were more or less talking about the same thing.

Yoko, the little girl Newgate had claimed as his own. Their newest member and his youngest child. Both Marco and Jozu had been quite young themselves when he had taken them in, but not as young as her. Momonosuke and Hiyori didn’t quite count as his children, they weren’t HIS, they were his brothers. They were Odens. But still family, niece and nephew.

The captain knew that the life of a pirate wasn’t the most ideal one for such a young child, but he was also sure that he wouldn’t be able to let her go in the next port. Especially not now after his sons had started to spend time with her and seemed to be already quite fond of her.

Newgate laughed at his bickering children and the little girl who seemed to not mind being taken from Marcos arms into Thatchs and back to Marcos again.

His heart hurt a bit seeing Yoko cry again, but at least he was pretty sure it was because she was so happy and got yummy food. Seeing his sons slightly freak out about her tears made him chuckle. Yeah, they definitely wouldn’t have been able to let her go in the next port.

His eyes wandered around again, landing on two of his younger commanders. Jozu was trying his best to talk to Izou, who seemed to not even notice that someone was addressing him. The former samurais full attention was on Yoko and Newgate wasn’t the least bit surprised. His son was great with kids and the girl seemed to not only remind him of the past, but of course Izou, too.

Newgates eyes met Jozus confused ones and he shook his head smiling. Izou was deep in fond memories of his past and they should leave him alone for now. The younger man nodded, understanding what was going on and now himself focusing on their newest member.

Yoko herself had already finished her meal and was now sitting next to Marco rather then on his lap, even though she was still leaning into him while she herself started to look around curiously.

Izou stood up and turned to leave and Newgate noticed the girls eyes focus on the man from Wano. She tugged on Marcos shirt and asked him something which he answered smiling and with a pet to her head.

Newgate laughed lovingly again. His sons seemed to be fond of this specific display of affection, he had seen them doing that quite often to the child. But she seemed to like it, so that wouldn’t be a problem. Maybe she liked it so much because she had eaten a Zoan devil fruit and people like that tend to show some minor animal traits in their behaviour. Just like Marco liked to perch on high things, like Newgates shoulder, for example.

He wondered what kind of animal Yoko was able to turn into, the ears and tail didn’t quite look like a cats nor a fox’s. Maybe a bit like a raccoon, but the colours had been off for that, too. Ah well, he could just ask her later, it didn’t really matter after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I spelled some words wrong when Yoko is talking. She is 5. She still has some problems with complicated words and doesn’t notice she is pronouncing them wrongly. She will grew out of that.


	4. Stargazing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoko can’t sleep at night and makes a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this early then I thought! Thank you all for the kudos and the comment! They fuel and motivate me!

** Stargazing **

It had already been three days since Marco brought Yoko aboard the Moby Dick and life was slowly adjusting to a new normal. Most of the crew still remembered the days when they last had such young children with them and they had grown to adore their newest addition in mere hours.

The girl herself mostly kept sticking around Whitebeard, Marco and Thatch, but was also curious enough to speak or play with other members of the crew if they approached her, even though she never went far enough away to not being able to see at least Whitebeard himself. It had also become pretty obvious that she was used to living on a ship and never got in the way of anyone. This was mostly because she usually spent her time drawing on the floor next to the captains chair, napping in his lap or the pocket of his coat or being carried around by Marco and Thatch.

Yoko napped a lot throughout the day, because her nights weren’t very restful. The child was plagued by nightmares. The first night they had hung up a hammock for her in the captains cabin, because they had all agreed that it wasn’t a good idea to leave her alone, especially not at night. They all had seen their fair share of horrible things, and no matter how strong they were, they were no strangers to nightmares themselves.

The first night she had woken up crying and screaming for her Mama. It had broken Newgates heart to see her so distressed, but he had been glad that he had been able to calm her down by talking to her and letting her lie on his chest. The following nights had started of with her laying there to begin with, which had helped, but her sleep had still been restless.

To all their surprise Yoko had been able to sleep relatively soundly in the middle of the busy deck, snuggled up against Whitebeard or curled up in his pocket when the light had been to bright for her to fall asleep. When asked she had just said that all the noises and voices made her feel not alone and safe.

But napping for half of the day had one big disadvantage, too.

It was shortly after midnight and Yoko was wide awake. And she needed to pee! But Mister Newgate had put one of his hands over her, which made her feel warm and comfy, but also unable to get up without waking him! She really really needed to go, but would he be angry for waking him?

The girl tried to wiggle our from under his hand as carefully as she could, even holding her breath. The captain needed his sleep,too, after all!

“Yoko...?” His voice was deep and rumbled in his chest under her. “Did you have a bad dream again?”

Newgate lifted his hand so that she was finally able to sit up.

She just shook her head and blushed slightly. She had slept well after falling asleep in his pocked after dinner. “No... I... ehh...”

“Is something bothering you, daughter?” The pirate looked at her frowning, but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary, which was a relief.

“Mister Newgate...I... I need to pee...”

“Gurarara!” His laugh rumbled through his chest and slightly rocked her. “I see, child. Do you want me to bring you to the toilet?”

Yokos blush deepened while she crossed her arms. She pouted at him and shook her head vehemently. “No! I’m five! Almost 6! Not a baby! I can go on my own!” She turned her head slightly to the side, avoiding his eyes. “But... could you set me down on the floor...and...open the cabin door...please? It’s to big and heavy...”

“Of course.” He gently grabbed her with on of his hands and stood up. Newgate opened the door far enough for her to comfortably get out before sitting her down again. “There you go, daughter! I will let the door open like that so you can get back in without a problem, ok?”

“Mhm! Thank you Mister Newgate!” She nodded smiling before running off barefoot in the direction of the nearest bathroom.

It didn’t took her long to finish her business and she was about to go back to the captains cabin when she realised that she was still very much awake and not tired at all! So she decided to take a little walk around the ship. Yoko was as silently walking as she could because it was late, so people were sleeping and she didn’t want to wake anyone up. The girl strolled around for a few minutes before she reached the door that would her lead out on deck and she thought it would be nice to look at the stars for a bit.

Yoko stepped out and slowly made her way to the bow of the ship, looking up at the clear sky. The stars and especially the Milky Way were beautiful.

There were a few people still on deck, keeping watch, but the girl didn’t pay them much attention, to mesmerised by the millions of star above her. She didn’t even notice that it was actually a pretty cold night until she had reached the figurehead of the Moby Dick, when a chilly breeze made her shiver.

“Isn’t it a bit late for you to still be up, Yoko-chan?”

She turned around, startled by the sudden voice behind her. “I... ehh...”

Izou chuckled and crouched down in front of her, placing his hand on her head. “Couldn’t sleep?”

The child shook her head and played with them hem of her shirt, while avoiding his eyes.

“Don’t worry, I’m not mad and I won’t scold you.” The commander frowned, noticing her bare feet. “Aren’t you cold, Yoko-chan?”

She looked up at him and shook her head, but she shivered in the same instance. “Maybe a little bit...”

He sighed, but smiled fondly at her and pulled her into his arms before straightening up again. “Now that is better, hm?”

Yoko nodded, slightly blushing. “Thank you.”

Izou adjusted the blanket he had thrown over his shoulders so that it was now also wrapped around her. “Want me to take you back to Pops?”

“Can I...an I stay a little bit longer? Please?” She looked at him with big puppy eyes. “I wanna look at the stars for a bit longer. Please? Just five minutes? Please?”

He looked at her, playful stern, but trying not to snicker.

“Please~”

He sighed theatrical and sat down on the large figurehead, the child on his lap, sheltered from the cold wind.

Yoko beamed up at him, stars reflecting in her blue eyes. “Thank you!”

“But just for a bit.”

“Ok!”

They sat there in silence for a while, the child gazing at the stars, the commander keeping watch.

“Mister... Izou?”

He looked down at her, smiling. “Yes?”

“Ehm... you are from Wano right?”

He raised an eyebrow, wondering who had told her about that. “Yes, I am. How do you know that, Yoko-chan?”

The girl turned around to look up at the man holding her. “You are calling me -chan. Mama did that, too...”

His second eyebrow joined the first. “Your mother was from Wano?”

“Mamas great great great great great parents came from there!”

“Oh?” Now that was an interesting information. Izou knew that there were probably more people with ancestors from Wano travelling around on various ships then most people would have guessed, but still a hint at who Yoko really was. “What about your father? Is he from Wano, too?”

She shook her head after thinking for a moment. “No, Papa is from a Blue...”

All of a sudden she gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth.

“Yoko-chan? What’s wrong?”

She looked up at him with wary eyes and mumbled behind her hands: “I’m not supposed to tell that to anyone...”

“Oh? So it’s a secret?” Yoko nodded reluctantly and slightly curled in on herself. “Then I promise I won’t tell anyone. Is that ok?”

“You won’t tell anyone? Not even Mister Newgate?”

He shook his head and placed one of his hands on hers. “No, not even Pops! It’s your secret and you decide who you are telling it to! And it doesn’t matter where you are from, I’m sure Pops has told you that before.”

She nodded. “He did... will you really promise?”

“I swear on my pride as a Samurai and as a Whitebeard pirate!”

Yoko looked at him for a moment, studying his face, before fully turning around in his lap and giving him a tight hug. “Thank you!”

Izou smiled at her fondly while hugging her back and petting her head.

“Hey, Yoko-chan, do you want to hear a story?”

She looked up at him, eyes twinkling, and nodded into his chest. “Please!”

“It’s a story from my home island about a dragon and a doctor. It’s called _Meii to Ryú_... Once upon a time there lived a brilliant doctor...”

***

Newgate twitched awake and blinked irritated. He must have fallen asleep while waiting for Yoko to come back. She was gone for quite a while now, hopefully she wasn’t sick or got lost, the Moby Dick was huge after all. The pirate activated his observation haki and searched for her. It didn’t take him long to do so and when he noticed who was with her he couldn’t help himself but laugh.

He stood up and made his way on deck, still laughing lowly.

“Gurarar. I see you found a little companion in your watch, son.”

Izou turned around, one finger raised to his lips. “Shh, Pops! She fell asleep half an hour ago.”

“I see, that’s good” Newgate leaned down and gently caressed the child’s cheek who leaned into the touch subconsciously. “Would you mind taking her with you after your watch is over, Izou? She seems to sleep better in someone’s arms and sadly I’m a bit to big for that.”

The younger mans grinned up at his father. “No problem, Pops. Don’t be sad, I’m sure she loves you dearly nonetheless.”

The captain pouted slightly. “She hasn’t called me Pops yet, though...”

“She just needs time. It took me quite some time to call you that too... especially after how I ended up in your crew.”

“Gurarara.” He placed his hand on his sons head and grinned. “But in the end you became my son and you even stayed when Oden left.”

“Pops!” Izou glared up at him. “Hands off of my hair!” He smirked. “Of course I stayed. I’m supposed to take care of Whitey-chan, Pops~”

“Gurarara! Cheeky little bastard, no respect for your father!”

***

Yoko woke up slowly. She felt safe and warm and the bed she was laying in smelled nice. The girl sat up, rubbing her eyes slightly confused. She blinked and looked around with drowsy eyes. This was not Mister Newgates cabin. Where was she?

“Good Morning, Yoko-chan. Have you slept well?”

The child looked to the end of the bed and gasped in awe.

“Izou-san! You look so beautiful!” His long black hair was falling down on his back, not put up for the day yet, but his makeup was already in place. It seemed like he was just about to do his hair, brush sitting in front of him and facing a mirror.

The man turned around, laughing. “Thanks, kid.” He turned back, but still looked at her through the mirror. “Can you wait a moment until I have done my hair, then I will take care of yours, ok?”

“Ok.” Yoko looked around the cabin. The room wasn’t that big. The bed she was sitting on, an open chest full of clothes and a small table and stool in front of the mirror on the opposite side of the room from the chest. The shelves in the walls filled with pictures and all kinds of random stuff. Two fans were hanging on the wall behind the bed.

“So, I’m done.” Izou turned back around, grinned at her and took her into his arms before placing her on the stool. “How do I look?”

“Very, very, very pretty!” She looked up at him and grinned back. “What are you gonna do. My hair is short, Izou-san?”

He turned her to look at the mirror and took the brush and gently poked her cheek with it. “Well first, I will start with brushing it, duh.”

Yoko giggled and Izou started to brush her hair. “And then?”

“Hmmm, I could put some small bows in your hair. Would you like that? I think it would look cute. And then we can go get some breakfast. I bet Marco and Thatch are wondering were you are, it’s past your usual breakfast time.”

“Izou-san?”

“Mhm?”

“Thank you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, some new info on Yoko! Only Izou uses -chan, -san and -kun... he switched to Lord and Lady while travelling with Whitebeard.  
> Next chapter will have some more we’ll know characters and, if I get to it, some sketches or drawings, too.  
> The story Izou tells her is from a book about Japanese fairytales I own. It doesn’t matter for the story but if someone is interested I will put a short summary in the notes of the next chapter, or add it to this.


	5. Water 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Moby Dick reaches Water 7. Yoko meets some new people and tells her brothers something that leaves them a bit shocked and confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me a bit longer, but I couldn’t find the motivation to write much last week, mostly because I was busy and because it’s hot. And no drawing/doodle either because of that, sorry!  
> All the new hits and kudos made me happy! But I would love some feedback too.

** Water 7 **

Over the last week the Whitebeard pirates had gotten fully used to the life with a child again. And Yoko had also gotten mostly used to her new home, too.

After some problems in the first days they had figured out a new schedule. Yoko would have an early breakfast and then spent the morning drawing or watching the clouds. Sometimes either Whitebeard or an other member of the crew would tell her stories. Then she would have lunch with either Marco or Thatch and a small nap in Whitebeards coat pocket, which had soon become one of her favourite spots.

Later she would spent some time with Izou, who had fallen right back into the role of a big brother, much to the surprise and source of confusion of the newer crew mates. The young man taught her how to do origami and told her stories about his home country, Wano.

A few days ago Yoko had even started to call him Aniki instead of Izou-san, making him the first one to be called some form of “big brother”. He had also been the one to recognise the animal she could turn into. It was a red panda and, even though no one would ever admit it because they were strong and fearsome pirates, thought it made her look even cuter and definitely more cuddly.

In the evening they would have dinner and spend some time playing card games and drinking until Yoko fell asleep again. After that one of her three favourite commanders would bring her to bed with them and stay with her to ensure her a restful night.

Today’s morning was spent not different then the last ones.

Yoko lay on her back, watching the clouds and talking to Whitebeard.

“Look, Mister Newgate! That one looks like a whale!”

The pirate looked up and smiled. “So it does, daughter. It looks like a humpback whale. The Moby Dick, the ship we are on right now, is modelled after one.”

The child turned on her stomach and sat up, gasping up at him. “It is? It really looks like a whale?”

“Gurarara. Yes, the Moby looks like a whale! I’m sure you can see that for yourself soon, too, when we reach the next island.”

“Yay!” She let herself fall back, giggling in excitement. “Mister Newgate, did you know I had a friend who is a whale?”

“Oh?”

“Mhm! He is bigger then you! And even waaaaay bigger then this ship! He is so big he could eat this ship!” She made a biting movement with her arms. “Chap! Like that!”

“Gurarara, that sounds like a very big whale then...” 

Before Newgate could question her some more about this “whale friend” of her a shout sounded from the crows nest.

“Land Ahoy!” The deck erupted in exited screams and everyone there rushed to the side the man above them pointed. “Water 7 on starboard up ahead!”

Yoko ran there too, but all she could see, even with jumping as high as she could, were the backs and heads of the men in front of her. “I wanna see something too!”

Big gentle hands suddenly lifted her up and placed her on someone’s shoulder. “Can you see something now, Yoko?”

“Jozu!” She grinned at him and nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Thank you!”

The young man smiled back at her, glad that she wasn’t scared of the sudden hight.

“Oh!!! It looks pretty! Like a huge fountain!”

More man come out from under deck, drawn up by the excited shouts of their friends.

“Marco! Thatch!” The girl turned around slightly and pointed in the direction of the island. “Look! Look! An island! An island that looks like a fountain!”

***

A few hours later the Moby Dick had docked at Rocky Cape and the crew was swarming out to restock on supplies and find a shipwright who would have a look at their ship. They of course had their own aboard, but a new and neutral pair of eyes every now and then was good too.

Yoko sat on the railing, her feet dangling on the outside of the ship, and looked out over Rocky Cape and Scrap Island, ignoring the small chaos around her. She frowned and tilted her head slightly to one side. There were people building something and there was a frog?

A hand landed on her head, ruffling her hair. “Found something interesting to look at, lil’ sis?”

She looked up at Marco and Thatch while pointing to the left side of the island. “What are they doing?”

“I think they are trying to build a sea train.”

“What’s a sea train?”

“A train that runs on the ocean, yoi.”

“How does it do that?”

The two young man looked at each other and back at their curious little sibling.

“That is a good question. I don’t know.”

“Let’s go investigate and ask them, yoi! Pops?” Marco turned around to look at their father, who just laughed and waved them off.

Thatch scooped the child up and jumped down from the ship, which made her yelp in surprise and then giggle in excitement.

“I wanna do that too!”

“No, not until you are bigger and stronger, yoi! It’s dangerous.”

The cook sat her down and smiled at her pouting face. “I’m sure you will be able to do that soon enough yourself, but right now we don’t want you to get hurt, it’s really high after all. So promise you won’t try that on your own, ok?”

The girl kept pouting but nodded. “Ok... I promise.”

“Good, yoi.” Marco held out one of his hands for her to take. “Then we can go check out the people working over there. Let go!”

Yoko took his hand and the three of them walked over to where they could see the sea train was build. They stood close by for a while and just silently observed the building process until a young man noticed them and stormed over.

“What do you want? Mess with Master Tom?”

The two pirates just raised an eyebrow each at the ballsiness of the apprentice while Yoko hide behind Marcos legs, slightly spooked.

“No? We were just curious.”

They heard a booming laugh from behind the half build locomotive, before a big and round Fishman appeared.

“Leave them be, Franky. They don’t mean any harm.” He smiled at them while a slightly older young man appeared next to him. “I’m Tom and these are my apprentices Franky and Iceberg. The frogs name is Yokuzuna. You come from the Moby Dick? A beautiful ship!”

“Yeah, yoi. She is our home and we love her.”

Toms smile only got brighter. “I can see that. But what brings an emperor into Paradise, if I may ask?”

“Officially, maintenance for the Moby, yoi.”

“But unofficially, a ghost hunt in the Florian Triangle!”

The young men grinned at the fishmans baffled face.

“A ghost hunt?”

“Exactly! We didn’t find a ghost, yoi.” Marco nudged Yoko in front of him, hands on her shoulders. “But we found something way better!”

The girl looked up at him, blinking. “But there was a ghost there, Marco! I saw him!”

“What?”

“Yeah! There was a ghost! It was like... this big! And floating around. And all kinda wobbly. He talked to me for a bit, but I was scared and then he sang to me! And he said ‘yohoho!’ a lot!”

“You didn’t tell us that before.”

She blinked again. “You didn’t ask?”

This left her brothers slightly dumbfounded and Tom laughing.

The fishman scooped her up and bounced her slightly in the air, resulting in her brothers yelping and her giggling.

“Tahahaha. You are definitely not a ghost. I’m Tom and what’s your name, little guppy?”

“I’m Yoko!” She swung her legs back and forth, looking at the fishman with big sparkling eyes. “Mister Tom, are you the Tom who build the Oro Jackson?”

He sat her back down on her feet and grinned broadly. “Yes, that’s me! Do you know the Oro Jackson?”

Yoko nodded eagerly. “Everyone knows the Oro! She’s the ship of the pirate king! She’s big, but not as big as the Moby and not a whale either! She has red sails and a canon in the front and is made from really really special wood!”

“Tahaha, you seem to know her well, little Yoko. Have you ever seen her?”

The child shook her head while pressing her lips together and playing with the hem of her shirt. “No. I’m six. ‘Am to young to have seen her sail...”

“I see...”

“Ehm, Yoko?” She looked up at Thatch. “I thought you were five? You said you were five when we asked you.”

“Yeah, I was five. Then I had my birthday, so now I’m six.” She looked at him like he had just asked something really dumb and obvious.

The two young man looked at each other and then back at the little girl. Fuck! Did they really forget her birthday? Wait, did she even tell them her birthday?

“Yoko, when was your birthday, yoi?”

“Yesterday.” She blinked in slight confusion at the faces her brothers made. “Why?”

What?! “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Ehh...” She rubbed her neck awkwardly. “I... kinda forgot until lunch and then I didn’t want to be annoying or so... and I had fun and yummy food anyway! And... and I don’t need any presents. And Mama and Uncle never made a big fuzz anyway. Just yummy food and playing. Maybe a new toy, but most of them are with Uncle now and I lost the one I had with me before Mama vanished... I was happy because I was with all of you.”

The two young commanders didn’t know if they should laugh or just look shocked and confused. Just who was she and how was she raised until now?!

“Tahahaha! You are quite something little guppy!” Tom turned to the pirates. “She reminds me of some things I’ve heard about your captain.”

You could basically see the gears in their heads turn while they looked at Yoko and then back at each other. Now that he had mentioned it, she really remembered them of their father. But that wasn’t possible, right? It could just be a coincidence. They would have noticed it if their father would have been together with a woman, right? But... what if she really was Whitebeards daughter? They had to ask their father! Not that it would matter either way...but...

“Thatch, I think we should...”

“Yeah... we really should...”

“I’m sorry, but I think we have to go back to the ship now. It was a pleasure to meet you Tom!” Marco threw Yoko over his shoulder and started to run back to the Moby Dick, Thatch close behind him.

“Bye Bye Uncle Tom! Bye bye Uncle Toms abrentices! Bye bye frog!”

***

It didn’t take them long to reach the ship and as soon as Marco spotted Izou he thrusted Yoko into his hands.

“You wanted to go buy some clothes for her right, yoi? Could you do that now?”

The former samurai frowned at them, but nodded. “Yes. Marco, what’s going on?”

“Nothing!” Izou raised an eyebrow at Thatch. “We will explain later. It’s nothing bad, promise! But we have to talk with Pops first!”

“Ok?” The slightly older man shook his head, sometimes his brothers could be incredibly weird. “Pops, now that those idiots are back, I’m off doing some shopping with Yoko-chan.”

***

“Pops!”

“What’s the matter, sons? Did something happen?” The two young man looked slightly shocked, which made the captain worry.

“No? Not really, yoi, but...”

“Could we talk with you in private for a moment, Pops?”

Newgate frowned, he had seen them with Izou a moment ago before the later one left with Yoko. Was something wrong with his youngest? “Of course!” He stood up from his seat and lead the way to his cabin. “You know you can always talk with me.”

Just a moment later the door to the captains quarters had closed behind them and the older man had sat down on his bed, waiting for his sons to spit out what the fuck made them act so weird.

“Pops, is there the possibility that Yoko is your daughter?”

Newgate raised an eyebrow and looked at Thatch in confusion. Of course she was his daughter! They all knew that!

“He means your biological daughter, yoi.”

“My biological?” What brought them to that conclusion?! “Gurarara! No. I’m absolutely sure she isn’t. Why do you ask?”

The young man looked at each other, slightly embarrassed. “Well, just something she said.”

“Yeah, and something Tom said, yoi. It just reminded us of you.”

“Oh? And what did she say?” Now the older pirate was really curious.

“Well, she basically said that spending time and having fun with family and friends is all that matters for her on her birthday, yoi.” Newgate grinned at Marco. Yeah, that sounded a bit like him indeed. “Oh, and Pops, she also said that her birthday was yesterday.”

“But she kinda forgot because she had a nice day anyway.”

Wait...

“WHAT?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I have to say that there will be more action/drama soon. And this doc will eventually get... much darker then it is now. Not next chapter, but in the future. I will put warnings at the beginning of the chapters that have heavy and dark themes, especially because so far this fanfic was mostly pure fluff.  
> I also should say this first Arc of the fanfic is set in 1507/08, which makes Yoko a few months older then Ace. I plan to continue it until present time in the manga, which naturally will take me quite some time. There will be a few time skips too.  
> I will never abandon this fanfic but there might be times where I will update less regularly, and I apologise in advance for that.


	6. A pirates’ life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoko gets some new stuff and protects her new father honour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a bit longer again, sorry!  
> Thank you all for the kudos and the comment!  
> I wasn’t really in a creative/writing mood recently so updates might take a bit longer.
> 
> Tiny warning because of a little bit of violence for this chapter. Like really tiny.  
> (This is One Piece... do I even have to put a warning for this small bit of violence?^^’)
> 
> But now, I hope you enjoy! And I would be delighted to get some feedback.

**A pirates’ life**

Yoko held on tightly to Izous hand and looked around the city they were walking through. It was huge! There was dirt and rubbish in every corner she had seen so far, but she was still baffled by the architecture and the fact that people mostly travel on the water. The bulls they used were really cute too! To bad they weren’t using one themselves, but Izou had wanted to walk and stretch their feet.

“Where are we going?”

“Well, you need some other clothes and we are going to get you some. Maybe we find some toys or children’s books too.” Yoko could read, right?

“But I don’t have any money!”

Izou raised an eyebrow and lay his free hand on her head. “But I do, so don’t worry about it.”

Yoko pouted. “But... I didn’t even do any work on the ship! And am supposed to right?” That’s what her Mama had told her. If you are on a ship and belong to a crew you all work together. And with work you earn your share of money. Mama had always done that, but now Mama was gone, so Yoko had to do that herself, right? She had forgotten that.

The pirate crouched down in front of her and poked her forehead. “Don’t be silly, Yoko-chan. You are five, we won’t make a little kid work.”

“But I wanna help! I can’t do much, but I will learn! I’m six and I can help clean or do dishes and stuff!”

Izou sighed, she really was a little stubborn. And what was that about her being six? When was her birthday?! Was that why Marco and Thatch were acting so weird?

“Ok, let’s make a deal. I’m gonna get you some clothes and other stuff as a present for your birthday and when we go back we can talk with Pops about helping, ok?”

“But...” 

He put a finger to her lips and silenced her. “Ah, no buts! You get some presents and Pops decides what you can help out with later! Ok?”

The girl was still pouting but nodded.

“Good, then let’s go get you some clothes. I see a nice children’s store not to far away.”

***

The store wasn’t that big, but it had a nice selection of clothes in Yokos size and even a little corner with toys and books.

Izou looked through the cloth stands and pulled out a pink dress with some frills. He was sure it would look cute on his youngest sibling.

“What about this, Yoko-chan?”

The absolutely disgusted face the child pulled made him almost laugh, before something crossed his mind and he narrowed his eyes slightly.

“No dresses?”

“No, no frilly pink stuff!” She stuck out her tongue, glaring at the dress. “Bleh. Don’t make me wear **_that_**! Please!”

He put it back and smiled at her. “Ok, no frilly and pink stuff! But dresses are ok?”

Yoko nodded relieved, she really didn’t like the pink stuff! And especially the frills! They looked stupid and princess-y and she was a pirate! Not a princess!

“Dresses are fine.”

“Hmmm...” The young man kept looking and pulled out a simple blue dress with a small flower border on the edges. “What about this?”

“Oh! That is pretty!” She took it from him and smiled. “It’s so light and soft, too!”

“It is. Can you bring it to the counter for me? Then come back and we will look for some shirts and pants.”

“Sure!”

It didn’t take them long to find some more clothes for her. Yoko especially loved the two shirts with a sailing ship and a whale on them and the dungarees. She was very excited when Izou told her he would put the Jolly Roger of their crew on them.

He knew shopping for only clothes for so long must have been boring, so the pirate wasn’t surprised when he noticed her wandering closer to the little toy section.

Yoko stood in front of the shelf with the toys, eyes sparkling. The teddy with the blue ribbon looked so fluffy and soft! She reached out to it, maybe she could pet it?

“Do you want to have that one?” The child slightly jumped at the sudden voice of her new big brother, who was now standing behind her.

“I... Eh...”

Izou smiled and ruffled her hair. “You can have it if you want to, you know.”

“Really?” She beamed at him when he nodded. “Really really?”

“Hahaha. Yes, really really!”

The girl screeched in delight and reached for it, pulling it into her arms and cuddled it.

“Thank you!”

***

Half an hour later the two were on their way back to the Moby Dick, hand in hand. Izou was carrying the back with the clothes while Yoko held on tightly to her new teddy bear. They walked by Tom and his people working on the sea train again and Yoko remembered that she had forgotten to ask how the sea train was going to work, so they decided to stop there for a moment and she ran to the big fishman to ask him.

“Yo, kimono pirate! What’re you going to do with the kid?”

Izou raised an eyebrow at the young man with the light blue hair. “She is part of the crew.”

The younger man huffed. “Yeah sure, and if she gets to annoying you will just throw her overboard or leave her on some random island! I know how you people are!”

Izous eyes twitched.

“Pirates are all the same. Plundering bastards. And if someone doesn’t fit anymore or is to annoying they get left behind or worse. What do you think how long will it take until your captain decides a kid is to much of a hassle and get rid of her?”

That was enough, no one accuses Whitebeard of all people of something like that! “You little...” But before the pirate could even think of punching him, a small figure ran past him and had kicked the apprentice hard against his shin.

“Take that back! Mister Newgate would never do something like that!”

Franky pulled her up by the front of her shirt. “You! What do you even know about pirates? They don’t give a shit about kids! Not even their own! If you get to annoying they get rid of you!”

“Shut up!” She struggled in his grip and kicked around, managing to hit him hard right into his groin. He let her go and sank to the ground, groaning in pain. Izou flinched and almost pitied him. Almost. Yoko was standing in front of him, face red and angry tears glistening in her eyes. “You don’t know who you’re talking about! He is Whitebeard! He saved me! He calls us his children! He loves us! He would NEVER EVER DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT! He is Whitebeard and EVERYONE knows that his crew is his family! I know there are bad pirates like that, but Pops is not like that! I won’t let you LIE like that! YOU don’t know anything!”

Izou held her back by the back of her shirt, surprised by the strong reaction of her. Maybe they had already rubbed of more on the child then they had expected.

Tom pulled his apprentice back on his feet, looking at him with a rare serious and slightly disappointed look.

“Franky, those pirates are not like the ones that just abandoned you here. Whitebeard is a great man and his family is everything for him. He is not just their captain but their father. Apologise!”

“But Master Tom!”

The fishmans glare softened. “I know you had bad experiences with pirates, your own parents even, but you don’t have to worry about the little guppy. There is no pirate crew still sailing the oceans where she would have a better home. She will never be abandoned.”

Franky pulled a disgruntled face and rubbed his neck. He had just wanted to warn the kid after all. He had just wanted her best. For him that had meant her to leave the pirates and maybe stay with them or find a nice family here in Water 7. Now he realised his biggest mistake, he hadn’t remembered all the stories about Whitebeard. The pirate captain whose greatest treasure was his crew, his family.

“Sorry.” He let his head fall and bowed. “I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry about the things I said.”

Izou nodded firmly. The boy obviously had his reasons, but he still had the urge to punch him and, well, Yokos kick right into his balls had been quite satisfying too, so he would let it go.

“Apology accepted. But don’t ever spew out something like that again about our Father!”

He noticed that Yoko wanted to argue, but he just placed a hand on her head and ruffled her hair. “You did great in defending Pops honour. The young man is an hotheaded idiot, but he realised that he was wrong and apologised. Let it be like that.”

She crossed her arms and pouted, still glaring dagger at Franky. “Don’t ever say anything so bad about Mister Newgate again or I will come and find you and make you regret!”

The young man gulped, the kids glare was pretty intimidating itself, for a little kid at least, but the look the older pirate sent him, made him realise that he really didn’t want to be on the bad side of that particular crew.

“No, never again. I promise. And sorry again.”

“Fine...” She held out her hand to Izou who gave her back her teddy and then took her free hand.

“I think it would be better for us to leave now. Have a nice day Master Tom.”

The older man smiled and waved them goodbye. “I agree, that would be the best. You are always welcome to come back and watch us, little guppy! And your siblings too, of course!”

The child stopped pouting and smiled back, even though it looked a bit forced. “Bye bye Uncle Tom!”

“Yoko-chan?” She looked up at Izou, worried that she might get scolded now that they were far enough away from Toms Workers. “Don’t do something like that again.”

“But he said bad stuff about Mister Newgate! And he made you upset, too!” She pouted again and pressed the teddy closer to her chest while avoiding her brothers eyes.

“Yes he did and there will be more people saying stuff like that or worse. But you are still a child and this is the Grand Line. Don’t pick fights with people that are much stronger then you. You were lucky he never intended to hurt you, the next time it could go way different and you could get hurt badly. We will protect you, but we can’t always be there. Do you understand?”

Yoko buried her face in the soft fur of her new toy and mumbled an agreement.

“So please promise me you won’t do something like that again.”

Izou could see that she wasn’t happy about it and he understood it. She wanted to protect her new family just as much as he did, but she had to understand that she was only a weak child who wouldn’t stand a chance against a real threat. At least not now. Being on a pirate ship meant that she would be learning how to fight, but like he said before, this was the Grand Line and they would soon return to the New World, the most dangerous sea of all. One wrong look or word could get you killed there, even as a part of the Whitebeard pirates. Oh, they would search revenge if something was going to happen to anyone of them, especially their youngest, but it was still better if it wouldn’t come to it in the first place.

“Ok... promise...”

The pirate smiled at her fondly. “You are a good kid. Thank you for promising even though you don’t like it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Franky is probably a bit OoC here. He overreact because it reminded him of his past and he didn’t fully realise which crew it was. And to be fair, Yoko was the one who kicked him first...
> 
> The next chapter will get a bit more... serious and dramatic.

**Author's Note:**

> Yokos name is supposed to be written as “Child of the Sea”. I don’t know if that’s actually possible, but I got it as a result when I first looked it up... years ago.  
> So please, for the sake of this story, accept that this is what her name means.


End file.
